Date Lessons
by AcerbusEquinomin56
Summary: Kazuki needs some pointers on how to take someone on a date. Ryo begrudgingly accepts. Like they say, experience is the best teacher. Ryotaro/Kazuki
1. Chapter 1

It was Monday morning and the Gen-Ed building never looked so peaceful. Ryotaro calmly walked his way down the hall to his classroom, warm sunlight streaming in through the adjacent windows. It was quite rare to have everything be so calm, so sedate, so…_unstressful._

Ryotaro was only about ten feet from his classroom door when he heard a sound that didn't fit. It was a kind of jangling, rustling noise with an irregular rhythm and somewhat percussive implements. He kept listening and noticed that it was getting louder.

Against his better judgment, he slowly turned away from the entrance to his classroom and looked back behind him to see Kazuki charging at full speed from the other end of the hall. He was loaded down with a mass variety of stuff such as backpacks, music stands, and of course, his ever-loving trumpet; the objects were jumping perilously up and down as Kazuki hurtled down the hall.

Ryotaro wasn't sure whether to take off running and hope to get to his classroom in time or merely prepare for the worst, since Kazuki appeared to be coming right toward him. He did not have the chance to consider however when Kazuki began yelling Ryotaro's name loud enough to pin him to the spot.

In only a few noisy moments Kazuki all but crash-landed into Ryotaro, knocking him back a few steps and successfully curtailing Kazuki's rampage. And almost breathlessly, Kazuki began speaking.

"Oh! Ryotaro, I'm so glad I found you! I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find you or something, which I was afraid of because I'm not usually over here in this building often, you know? Anyway, now that I have found you, I wanted to ask—"

"Kazuki, is this going to take long?"

"Oh no, no, it's not, I promise."

"Then would you mind untangling yourself from me?"

"Oh! Sure, of course."

Kazuki maneuvered around, managing to get balance and all his cargo back together. He stood there and looked up expectantly at Ryotaro. Ryo in turn looked puzzledly at him.

"Well? What were you going to ask me?"

"Oh! Yeah, sorry, I almost forgot. I wanted to know if you could help me with something, like a really big favor."

Ryotaro began cautiously wording his statements.

"…That depends on the favor. What did you have in mind?"

Kazuki became somewhat flustered.

"Well…"

Ryotaro looked backwards at his classroom door while Kazuki hesitated, trying to urge him into speaking. It worked.

"How do you take someone on a date?"

Not what Ryo was expecting.

"On a date?"

"Yeah."

Kazuki looked attentive, but Ryo was still a bit stuck at point A, or maybe just resistant to where he was thinking this conversation might be heading.

"You have someone you want to ask?"

"Oh, yeah, um, I do…but I'm not really sure how to take someone on a date…you know…"

"Have you actually asked this person yet?"

"Oh, um, no…but…"

"There's no guarantee they'll even say yes."

"Well…I hadn't thought about that…"

Kazuki dropped his attentiveness and looked quite put out. Ryo sighed and moved to fix his mistake.

"Look, I'm sorry for being so pessimistic with you. I haven't ever been asked that question before."

Kazuki perked up slightly.

"So?"

"Well…"

Ryo paused and worked in a futile attempt to balance scales in his mind. Unfortunately for rationalism, Ryo dropped them at the look on Kazuki's face.

"I don't know how much I can really teach you, but I guess, if you—"

The statement wasn't so much cut off by Kazuki as it was by the big hug he surrounded Ryo with.

"Thank you so much! You saved me from making huge mistakes!"

Ryo watched as Kazuki bounded back the way he came and wondered if he was the one who had made the huge mistake. This was augmented by a final bell announcing Ryo's tardiness.

Saturday successfully came as slowly as possible, the day Ryotaro and Kazuki planned to meet for "date lessons," whatever those were. The week ticked by as though it was stopped at every red light in the universe.

The remaining time until their appointed meeting seemed still too short for Kazuki. He twiddled and piddled and tried to get his appearance as perfect as possible before realizing that once again, he was just acting silly. Then again, could time pass any slower? He grew more frazzled as the day came up behind him.

Ryotaro however was perpetually unconcerned and spent only a few preoccupied hours, spread out through the week, wondering what he was going to do with Kazuki. He'd have to think of something; he wasn't a professor on the subject, but at the very least he had some experience. Or at least, he thought he did. And Kazuki thought he did. Goodness, even Len thought he did. But that was beside the point and Ryo would snap back into trying to think of something to do for Saturday. He could hardly concentrate for all the concentrating.

The time of the meeting was at 1 p.m. sharp and on Saturday, Ryo and Kazuki arrived at an agreed-upon-meeting place, the park. Albeit they arrived from different directions and Kazuki was twenty minutes late. Ryo had arrived on time (and a little early) just to be cordial.

Upon not seeing Kazuki in, near or around the basketball court (the more specific meeting place), he promptly began waiting. And waiting. And sitting down on a nearby bench. And then waiting some more.

When Kazuki did arrive, he was flustered, flurried, and in a general sense of self-berating fury. The fact that Ryo was sitting down did not do anything to assuage Kazuki's apologetic mood.

"I'm so sorry! I tried to set my alarm early ten minutes, but then it actually set it forward an hour and I couldn't get everything ready in time for it to look good…"

Ryo surveyed Kazuki. Kazuki stood in front of him dressed in a white half-ironed dress shirt fastened all but at the top button, a neatly presentable pair of jeans and some sort of comfortable looking tennis shoe. Whatever it was Kazuki was going for made Ryo start laughing and Kazuki traded him a look of confused disappointment.

Once Ryo stopped laughing, he gave his first piece of advice that day:

"Kazuki, one thing I know for sure is that you're supposed to have _fun_ on a date, not drive yourself crazy with unnecessary details."

Kazuki scuffed at his shoe and smiled a little.

"Sorry…"

Ryo smiled and stood up from the bench, bending backwards in a stretch and half allowing his tight-fitting black t-shirt to ride up. He straightened up with a first order of business attracting the attention of a slightly distracted Kazuki.

"Well, I guess the first thing to do is to decide what to do. I can't really teach you anything, but I guess the best way to show a date is go on a date."

Kazuki widened his eyes and Ryotaro hurriedly clarified.

"To show you how it works and all."

"Oh, right, okay, I think I get it."

"Good. Anyway, what do you want to do?"

Kazuki drew a blank before lighting up.

"We could go for food! I'm pretty sure they do that on dates, right?"

Ryotaro grimaced realizing the extent to which Kazuki could eat and tried to shuffle the image of him devouring a fast-food restaurant out of his mind. He returned to reality.

"Yes, they do, but we can do that a little later, alright?"

Kazuki pouted a bit.

"Alright."

Ryo observed his surroundings when suddenly improvisation took hold of him.

"I guess we could take a walk in the park."

"A walk in the park?"

"Yeah."

"Do couples usually do that on dates?"

"Of course."

Ryo tried to keep his answers short because in truth, he couldn't think of anything else to start the teaching date with. Kazuki however did not seem to pick up on that at all. He actually seemed jazzed at the pure thought of being on a date, performing a hop-step as the "date" officially began.

"Okay! Sounds great. So do we just walk around then, or?"

"Well usually dates involve a lot of talking, usually between _both_ people."

Ryo paused and stared at Kazuki for a moment.

"Oh? Oh! I get it, yeah."

He smiled and dusted his shirt as though he could straighten the wrinkles. Ryo seemed relieved that he felt free to talk again.

"Do you want to head in this direction?"

"Yeah!"

And so off in that particular direction they went, which happened to curve back around the basketball court and then around a series of small sunny hills. Kazuki quicker than not lit up the conversation before they'd even started walking.

"So on dates…"

"Mm…"

"You talk a lot right?"

Ryo thought to himself for a moment.

"Well, it's not so much the talking as being together with another person…the time spent, you know? But talking helps to pass the time…"

Kazuki almost appeared to be taking mental notes. The problem apparent was that Kazuki's mental notebook was the equivalent of a block of stone and a chisel. He about cursed himself for not bringing an actual notebook; he'd forgotten it in having flown out of his house.

Ryotaro in turn seemed surprised that Kazuki was taking what he said so seriously. It made him wonder if what he was saying was really worth listening to. Either guilt or anxiety made him doubt the idea.

"Kazuki…you know you don't have to…"

"What?"

"…I don't know. Listen so much I guess…"

"Really?"

Ryo realized he'd made another mistake.

"No! I meant listening to me, with the advice and such. You should listen to the person you're on a date with."

"But we're on a date now, aren't we?"

"Yeah, I guess…"

Kazuki laughed as Ryotaro sighed. There wasn't going to be an easy way around this day.

A moment later Kazuki interjected another thought.

"Hey, Ryotaro…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind if I call you Ryo?"

"…not exactly, but why?"

"Well…I thought it might make the 'date atmosphere' be a little more realistic, maybe? …I'm sorry…I don't know what I was thinking…"

Kazuki bopped his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"Really? Yay!"

Was Kazuki always this excited about everything? Ryotaro had to wonder. Although finding happiness in small victories surely was a talent, Kazuki seemed to take this almost as a standard. Nonetheless, the talk continued on.

"So…"

"Yes?"

"What do you talk about on dates?"

Ryotaro frowned.

"Anything really. Whatever you and your date are comfortable talking about. I'd think if you two are comfortable around each other, you could find _something_ to talk about."

"Yeah, of course…I guess it's just a bit new…"

"Well, what would your date be interested in?"

"Um…sports maybe…"

"Sports? Okay. So, let's talk about sports."

"Alright! Um…so, what kind of sports are you into?"

"Kazuki."

"…what?"

"You really need to be less tense."

Which is exactly the advice Ryotaro also could have used.

The pair continued to bumble through a conversation as they made progress through the park. They walked down the sunny hills, across the small bridge over the equally small stream, past the tennis courts where people were busy over-exerting themselves, and finally around the pond where several territorial ducks tried to assault Kazuki.

Upon escaping the avian attackers, Kazuki and Ryotaro found themselves back where they'd begun, coming right up to the bench and sitting down. Kazuki carried on with questions as he had for the duration of Ryotaro's patience, which was coming closer to the end of its endurance.

"So…what about gifts? What would be good to bring for a date? Would it be bad to ask your date about that? I wouldn't want to give someone something they absolutely hated. I mean would you—"

"Kazuki! Please…please stop for just a minute."

Ryotaro had held his hand up to signal for Kazuki to halt his jabbering. Kazuki seemed a little hurt and Ryo could tell he was just trying to do the best he could in preparing for whatever it was he was trying to ready himself for. After a deep breath, Ryotaro managed to steady his concern for the situation.

"I'm sorry, but Kazuki, it does matter that you wait for an answer to your questions."

"Okay…I'm sorry."

"It's alright. It's fine, really. …Anyway, about gifts. If you're going to give someone a gift, I think it should be something that would be obvious you picked out for that person. As for what it is, that really depends on the person…it changes girl to girl, right?"

Kazuki nodded, but looked extremely glum. Ryo leaned back, assuming he was still sulking about being interrupted. In the meantime, he tried to think ahead to what they would be doing next. Taking another look at Kazuki, he figured that it would be best to do something that would cheer him up.

"Do you want to get something to eat now?"

Kazuki lightened immensely and Ryotaro knew he'd regret it. Thankfully, Ryotaro already had a restaurant picked out, somewhere cheap enough to satisfy even Kazuki whom, he suspected, had a black hole hidden in his stomach.

The two of them piled into Ryotaro's car (which he made sure was washed and presentable) and headed for the restaurant. Kazuki amused himself by staring at the passing motorists while Ryotaro concentrated on keeping the silence perfectly intact. He did not have enough concentration for Kazuki.

"Hey Ryo…"

"…Hm?"

"How many dates have you gone on?"

Ryotaro paused, looking somewhat irritated as he began stopping for a traffic light.

"…A few, why?"

"Did you enjoy them?"

"Part of them, yeah, once you got over the awkwardness of it."

"…Do you have to love someone to go on a date with them?"

Ryotaro glanced over surprised, and then looked back in time to see the light change.

"Isn't that why you go on dates in the first place?"

"Mmm…"

Ryo stepped on the accelerator before completing his thought.

"Except for this one of course."

"Mm…"

Kazuki didn't talk for the rest of the car-ride.

Soon enough though, Ryotaro found himself at the restaurant he'd chosen earlier. Kazuki didn't quite know what to make of it. It was a relatively small building with thick white walls and several stunted bushes outside. Ryotaro parked and the two hopped out and went inside.

Immediately it was clear to Kazuki that it was an Italian-themed restaurant, more by the smell than by anything else. Kazuki might have been a bit slow, but his sense of smell was practically canine in its sensitivity. The décor didn't hurt the image either.

The restaurant was in essence divided into two sections, a large dining area and the kitchen with an order counter near the front door. The dining area was a multi-section sun room, split by several low walls. On each of the low walls was a window like construction with shelves instead of glass; the shelves held a variety of colorful glass bottles filled with beads and beans and other small things.

Further back, tables and booths lined in uneven patterns sat on a viridian tile floor, while songs in burbled Italian buzzed from speakers overhead. Kazuki was a little bit hit with culture shock.

Ryotaro noticed no line in sight and so nudged Kazuki over to the counter to order their food. Kazuki arched on the balls of his feet while looking at the menu. He bit his lip, almost swaying from side to side. Ryotaro smiled before leaning over.

"Kazuki…I'll pay for this."

"What?"

"You should treat a date, right?"

Kazuki blinked and then whipped his head back to the menu. Ryotaro's smile went away.

Kazuki went ahead to grab a table while Ryotaro paid, sadly watching the bills float away from his hands and into the abyss that was Kazuki's appetite. He then began walking to the back of the dining room before he spotted Kazuki waving at him from a bright, window-lit booth.

Ryotaro sat down while Kazuki stared at him. It was a moment before Ryo noticed.

"What?"

"What do we do now?"

Ryotaro blinked before laughing.

"Kazuki…you don't have to script every second of a date…"

"Oh, good…and…"

"And?"

"…I don't know."

Kazuki went red. Ryotaro smiled again.

"Seriously, you have to relax a little. It's not going to be fun if you're always uptight."

Kazuki sunk deeper on his side of the booth. Ryo leaned over and poked him in the side before laughing when Kazuki recoiled with surprise.

"That's better."

Kazuki looked around, still a little red before laughing along.

"I guess so…"

"What were you so nervous about anyway?"

"Um…"

"Hm?"

"It's just…this is the first date I've ever really been on…"

"…Oh…"

Even Ryotaro was a little shocked that Kazuki had no dating experience whatsoever. He had to wonder since Kazuki was good-looking, well…sort of and had a great personality, and could be funny…and before long Ryo began wondering what on earth he was thinking.

He snapped back into reality as a waiter dressed in a prim, attractive uniform walked up to their table with plates of food.

"Lasagna?"

Kazuki spoke immediately, seemingly afraid it would vanish if he didn't.

"Me!"

The plate was put in front of him.

"Ravioli?"

"Me again!"

"…Manicotti?"

The waiter looked at Ryo this time.

"Me again!"

Kazuki smiled, but the waiter looked oddly concerned. Nonetheless, he placed the food with the two previous plates. Finally, he reached the last plate and set it before Ryo.

"And spaghetti. Enjoy your meals."

He cast a small glance at Kazuki as he said it and then walked away. Ryo looked at his humble plate of pasta and then at the mountains Kazuki had ordered. Before gorging, Kazuki started talking again.

"That was awfully fast…"

"I think this is a fast food restaurant…"

"Fast food?"

"Yeah, Italian fast food."

"But…that doesn't make any sense…"

Shortly after putting a plate and a half away, Kazuki began talking again.

"Do you usually take dates to fast-food restaurants?"

Ryo looked up from his half eaten bowl of spaghetti.

"It depends on how casual the date is."

"Ah…"

Both of them sat in that booth for a long time after Kazuki had finished gorging and the same astonished waiter took the plates away. They sat talking, laughing, and occasionally remembering episodes from the recent past.

"You put bows in Len's hair?"

"Not bows! Clips!"

"Ha! I can see why he tries to avoid you now when _you_ have them in."

"It's the girls in my class…seriously. I don't put them in myself."

"Ha ha, but you don't mind them though."

"Not really. I don't notice the clips most of the time."

"I meant the girls. You don't seem to mind the attention."

"…they sort of fuss over me…which I wish they wouldn't do in a way…"

"Is it one of those girls you want to ask on a date?"

Kazuki went still for a moment.

"…no."

Ryo felt he'd breached something cold. He tried to modulate the topic a bit.

"Is it someone you know?"

Kazuki softened a bit.

"Yep."

"How long have you known them?"

"For…about a year…maybe? Not very long."

"A few months then?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Right around the start of the Concours then…"

Kazuki hitched again, but Ryo saw it more closely this time. Thoughts flashed through his head.

"Maybe he likes someone from the Concours? I wouldn't think he'd like Shoko…not really his type…even though I don't really know his type…which leaves…"

Kazuki shrugged through the topic and let Ryo interrupt himself.

"Sorry, I guess it really isn't any of my business…"

Kazuki reacted.

"No, don't apologize, it is. We're on this date after all, so it's not as though it's not your business…or something like that…"

He got quieter at the end while Ryotaro picked back up with his thoughts.

"Kahoko then? I wonder if he knows her better than I do? She doesn't really spend a lot of time with anyone…well, then again, she sees Len a lot…but I don't know if he intends it that way…"

Ryo, in a way, tried to defuse the situation by objectively taking himself out of it.

"Well…I don't know her very well. She doesn't seem very happy…and looks flustered all the time…maybe Kazuki would cheer her up some."

Had Kazuki had any idea what Ryotaro was thinking, there would have been a resounding change of subject. The change did eventually come anyway when Kazuki realized that they'd spent much longer than he'd thought or that Ryo had expected merely talking away time.

"Ryo…?"

"Yes?"

"The sun is getting dimmer…"

"Eh?"

Ryotaro looked out the window.

"I didn't notice!"

Kazuki tilted his head slightly.

"Is there something wrong?"

"I had planned a movie next, but we might not catch it if we don't hurry!"

Kazuki was out of the booth, pulling Ryo out the door before the waiter could wish them a good evening. With a slam of car doors, they were speeding along towards their next destination. Ryotaro was driving as quickly as he could, but Kazuki was gripping the seat, characteristically bouncing with hyperactive enthusiasm (this time bordering on cheerful mania).

Thankfully, the parking lot at the movie theater wasn't completely packed that night and there wasn't a long line at the ticket booth. Ryo and Kazuki managed to hurry down the hall and slide into two open seats just as the lights were beginning to go off.

What a relief. They'd made it…

However, when the rush of adrenalin had worn off, Ryotaro realized he'd followed the flow of things, as well as ideal dating instinct, into a rather interesting situation. He ended up with Kazuki sitting in the back of the theater watching a romantic movie. Kazuki looked over at him curiously.

"Ryo, what kind of movie is this?"

Ryotaro practically stuttered.

"Are you kidding me? I'm sorry Kazuki…I didn't know this theater was only playing romantic films at the time I suggested…"

"That's okay. Wouldn't you usually come to see a romantic movie on a date?"

"Well…I guess…"

"Good! Then we're in the right place."

"Yeah…"

Ryotaro looked around nervously. He hadn't planned for this (although in truth he hadn't really planned anything), so he wanted to get as clear an idea of what situation he'd put them in. What immediately occurred to him was the vast profusion of people sitting in pairs with spaces in between the pairs. It was almost odd…until…

"Oh no…"

Ryotaro thought to himself. He was surrounded by people on dates, people Kazuki could see and learn from, things he could learn that would be dangerous to replicate…and Kazuki was not helping Ryo's mortal panic.

"Hey, Ryo, isn't there something special you do on dates at the movies?"

Ryotaro blanched.

"Um…no, not that I can think of. I'll let you know if I do though."

"Okay."

Kazuki bought the flat lie and went back to watching the screen, but Ryo wasn't happy one bit with the idea of _that_ cliché. It bothered him through the opening previews, through the opening credits, through the beginning and into the middle of the movie. Should he actually show something like that to Kazuki?

Ryotaro kept fidgeting, which never let him really watch the screen, not that it would have helped ease the moral tension anyway.

The movie itself was almost as cliché as the movement he was debating teaching: everything was gushy, mushy, slushy, touchy, romance. However, Ryo wondered if it would have been any better an idea to take Kazuki to an action film. He supposed he should have screened the films better.

At that moment, Ryotaro noticed a couple of people a few rows ahead of him. Since no one was sitting in front of him, Ryo could see what appeared to be a guy conspicuously putting his arm around what appeared to be a girl, who then reciprocated by placing her head on his shoulder.

Ryo didn't think that people even _did _that anymore. Then again…it might be worth the effort. He decided to go ahead and mention it to Kazuki should it ever become needed. He turned his head slightly to get Kazuki's attention when Kazuki's head landed on his shoulder.

It scared him at first wondering what happened, but then he noticed that Kazuki was just slightly snoring. Ryo didn't think the movie was that boring, but whatever. He looked back down at the couple who'd clinched his decision and, feeling somewhat swept up in the mood of romance (the movie was to blame), he slowly lifted his arm and placed it on Kazuki's opposite shoulder.

Kazuki kept on snoring and even to the end of the film, Ryo had to fight to hear the rest of the dialogue. However, he did find it quite funny whenever the lead actor opened his mouth to spout off some ridiculous line only to have it replaced by a startling snore.

When the film ended, the lights came on and everyone began filing out of the theater. Ryotaro shook Kazuki a little, trying to wake him up. And little by little, he did wake up, first off noticing that the screen was dark.

"…is…it over?"

Ryo smiled.

"Yep. You slept through most of it."

'Oh…sorry…"

It was when he moved slightly that he noticed what position he was in. He also strongly noted that Ryotaro's arm was still loosely twined around his shoulders.

"Um…Ryo…"

Ryo followed Kazuki's eyes before immediately taking his arm away, pulling back and standing up.

"Sorry…I was getting sleepy myself."

Kazuki smiled.

"I don't blame you."

As they walked out of the theater, Kazuki was a little stunned to see that it was dark outside.

"How long were we in there!"

"The sun was already going down when we first went in."

"Yeah…but…it's kind of weird. It's like walking into another world…"

"If you say so."

Ryotaro told Kazuki that he'd take him home and so spent the next period of time following Kazuki's rather vague directions. Kazuki may have had the nose of a dog, but definitely not the navigation of one. Thus, they barely managed to avoid getting lost, helped by several large swerves from incorrect roads and from near collisions with various objects, both moving and immobile.

When they finally reached the domestic, neat looking house Kazuki had barely managed to direct them to, Ryotaro parked the car on the side of the street. He felt that the day had gone too fast; whether that was because he'd actually had a great time or that it was Kazuki's fault for distracting him.

They got out of the car and walked to the front of the house. Ryotaro looked around; everything seemed quiet and everyone inside the house Kazuki had led them to seemed to be either waiting in ambush or completely asleep. Knowing Kazuki, Ryotaro wasn't sure which one of those two options it was.

Kazuki on the other hand seemed quite energetic, perfectly ready to run a marathon or some other exhaustive sport. Ryotaro mused.

"Did you have a good time?"

"Yep! It was great! I don't know if it could have gone better!"

Ryotaro was a little unnerved.

"Are you sure…?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, we didn't really do anything that memorable…"

"It was fun!"

"But…"

Kazuki faltered.

"Wasn't it?"

"…I don't know. You didn't always seem to be enjoying yourself…"

"Oh…don't worry. I…get distracted sometimes…um…"

Ryotaro looked back at Kazuki's house.

"So…did they say they'd wait up for you, or what?"

"Oh, the door's probably unlocked or something."

Ryotaro wondered if Kazuki's family was a bit…light-headed like he was. Meanwhile, Kazuki had gone to check the door and indeed, it was unlocked, to Ryo's chagrin.

"That could be dangerous you know."

Kazuki had shut the door again and walked back.

"What?"

"Leaving the door unlocked. They could have left you a key or something…"

"That's okay. We don't really have anything worth stealing in there anyway. Haha."

"Still…"

Ryotaro made a mental note that he might need to start taking Kazuki home after any future dates. It struck him a moment later that he was anticipating further dates. Hmm…

"Kazuki?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think you learned anything today?"

"Oh yeah, loads and loads! Like for instance, I didn't know those ducks near the pond were so scary!"

Ryo wasn't sure whether he'd failed or succeeded in teaching Kazuki anything. Kazuki must have noticed the downtrodden look however.

"Ryotaro…don't be so sad! You were a great teacher!"

"I feel like a fraud."

"But why?"

"I didn't really know what I was supposed to tell you, honestly."

They both looked melancholy for a moment.

"…but the date went so well…"

"Well…if it did, then good."

"Yeah…oh, speaking of, is there any particular way you end a date? …not that I really want it to end exactly…"

"Eh?"

Kazuki blushed a bit and scrambled to explain.

"Oh, well, you know, it's so much fun and all…"

"Yeah…uh…well, there's not really any formal way to end a date…I mean, usually you just say goodnight and leave…"

Kazuki looked letdown.

"Really? Are you sure?"

Ryo thought for a second and remembered something, and thinking back to the movie theater, thought he might as well mention it.

"Well, once you've been dating someone a comfortable period of time, sometimes there's a goodnight kiss, but I hardly think that's—"

The words were crammed back into Ryotaro's mouth as Kazuki's lips pushed them in. Ryo could feel the weight of Kazuki's face on his, warm, full, and nervously shaking. There was a moment of shock that suspended Ryo's belief that this was actually happening.

Before that moment ended, Kazuki abruptly broke off, sending an acoustic pop into the range of darkness around them. As Ryo stared at Kazuki, a little time fell through his eyes, the shock falling with it and now allowing Ryo to start reacting.

Kazuki could sense it, both what was happening, as well as how red both their faces had become. It was obvious that the date had ended.

"Oh! …um, I'll see you later!"

With that, Kazuki bounded into his house, shutting the door a little too hard, sending the sound into Ryotaro and the surrounding darkness. He stood there for a moment, just enough shock left around his feet to keep from moving. It wouldn't be long before an empty feeling of confusion invaded his soul, but by that time he had regained his ability to move and entered his car.

Ryo drove home thinking.

"…Should I even interpret that? Was it because of what I said, or…did Kazuki actually have some prior motive for it…? If he did…then it might explain this whole…but, that doesn't completely make sense…I never would have thought…and then why he'd react when I mentioned…"

Ryo's soul shifted for much of the night.

Sunday came and went and saw little activity, but much agitation from both Ryo and Kazuki. Even when the previous day was at the back of their minds (it never left), it still affected their movements, their thoughts, the things they did that day.

Even Kazuki's brother was a little bit disconcerted by the abnormally high-strung and then depressive tendencies Kazuki exhibited. Of course, being a tad less thick-headed than his sibling, he had a feeling he knew what was going on, at least the periphery of an idea anyway.

Kazuki woke the next morning a while before he needed to, even to prepare for school. It quickly occurred to him that he would be going to school that day. The feeling of dread came upon the thought of school before actually honing in on what particularly was causing the dread. The heaviness of it pressed him to his bed, making him not want to get up.

He rolled over, only to feel an odd sensation and hear a crinkling noise. He immediately leaned up to see what it was. He observed a slightly wrinkled piece of paper lying on the side of his pillow. He picked it up and recognized his brother's handwriting.

"_Bro,_

_You can't mope forever. Do what you need to do._

_Haruki"_

Kazuki looked at the note for a moment before jumping out of bed and propelling himself to his bedroom mirror. He looked confident and determined. Kazuki thought to himself.

"He's right…I…need to…"

He looked at himself again before a blush began creeping over his determined face. Now he looked determined and embarrassed, but at least not weighted-down as much as he had been. Kazuki then flew to the bathroom to begin getting ready for school, better then than never.

Ryotaro waited all day at school for a sign of Kazuki. He hadn't seen one. On Sunday, he'd spent a large portion of the day wondering how it would go. He'd tried as hard as he could to dissect what had happened and to a larger extent, how he felt about it. The problem was that he didn't know how he felt about it, only a few ideas, and still so much more he wasn't sure about.

"Why on earth…no, that's the wrong question. It's easy to come to a conclusion why Kazuki would kiss me…or an idea of a conclusion. But why didn't I react? Why didn't I push him away? It's not as though I was expecting it…"

Still, the school day went on and no Kazuki. No Kazuki in the Gen-Ed building. No Kazuki in the music building (Ryo had gone and looked). He was practically to the point of asking someone when he gave up, deciding that Kazuki might not even be at school that day, which would have added to Ryo's worry rather than anxiety.

Classes were already over for Ryo when he went to look for Kazuki. As he exited the music building, he entered the long hallway that connected to the Gen-Ed building. Ryotaro intended to gather his stuff and leave, having no other reason to stay. Shortly after he'd entered the hallway however, he heard a voice behind him.

"Ryotaro…"

Ryotaro jumped, having not heard any footsteps or anything before. He did however know who the voice belonged to and turned to find, unsurprisingly, Kazuki looking at him. The look was oddly serious, not what Ryotaro had expected. They stood looking at each other, not saying anything. Ryotaro wondered why, considering he'd gone looking for Kazuki, of all things; he should at least say something.

"Kazuki, I actually—"

"Please, Ryotaro, I need to talk to you."

Kazuki had barreled in to interrupt. The way he looked, it didn't seem as though he'd needed no for an answer. Ryo, funnily enough wasn't going to give one.

"…actually, that's what I was going to say."

Kazuki paused and looked at the ground.

"Oh…good…"

Ryotaro waited.

"You go first."

He had a feeling it was more pressing for Kazuki. He was also curious (or expectant) to see what Kazuki was going to say.

"Alright, um…"

Another pause.

"I wanted to tell you…that I…"

"Mm?"

Ryo wasn't sure what he expected.

"…need to do what I need to do…"

"What?"

"No, that's…that's, um, I mean…"

"Kazuki…"

Kazuki noted an odd look on Ryotaro's face. He then thought back to his brother's note. Putting one and two together, he blurted.

"Ryotaro, I have feelings for you…sort of…"

The tension deflated and was replaced with an odd awkwardness. Ryo wasn't completely sure what to say, especially now that the reason was out.

"Ah…"

Kazuki almost shut down, turning so red he looked as though every drop of blood in his body had rushed to his face. Ryotaro tried to reply.

"So that's what it was…"

"…"

"Kazuki?"

"…"

"Kazuki…are you okay?"

Ryotaro reached his hand out.

"Kazuki?"

"Why aren't you angry?"

"What?"

Kazuki had looked up at him, a somewhat angry look on his face, tinctured with desperate confusion.

"Aren't you mad?"

Ryotaro shook his head.

"Not really…though I kind of came to the conclusion this was what you were going to say…"

"But, why not?"

Ryo held a blank look before he hesitantly chuckled.

"…I don't really know. I guess I don't mind as much as you may have thought?"

"But…that may be worse than you being angry."

Ryotaro blinked, his face moving a little.

"Why is that?"

"If you don't really care, it's worse than if you were just to be mad and to…"

"I don't think so."

Kazuki looked at Ryotaro carefully.

"I kissed you."

They both blushed in different ways, Kazuki more at having said it and Ryo at having remembered it.

"I know."

"Do you not mind?"

"It didn't bother me as much as I thought it would…which tells me something about myself…"

"So it didn't bother you?"

"It did. I mean…I've never kissed a _guy_ before, so of course it bothered me, just not as much as I thought it would."

Kazuki thought for a moment before starting to tell the truth.

"Ryo…I only asked you to teach me how to go on a date because I wanted to go on a date with you…but..."

Ryotaro was more than a little surprised at Kazuki's motive even though he shouldn't have been. The irony of being set up is how much a person can learn about themselves from how they act in such a situation. Ryo reflected.

"I never expected to enjoy it so much, even though you irritated me during about half of it."

Kazuki frowned in a surprised pout, though lightened as Ryo smiled. Kazuki then had to let his mind wander and there was no way around it.

"Ryo…I want to know how you feel about me…"

Ryotaro knew it was coming. It was an inevitable turn of logic and of consequence.

"Kazuki…can I tell you honestly?"

Kazuki nodded.

"…I really, really don't know."

"Huh?"

Perhaps they both were expecting rejection. Vague was not the prediction.

"But does that mean…?"

"I don't know that either."

"…what do you know?"

Ryo tried to solidify the knowledge he'd gained in the past few minutes.

"I know…that I enjoyed the date with you…and that I'm not angry with you for kissing me…and…"

"Hm?"

"…I need more time to figure out how I feel about you..."

"Oh…"

Ryo completed his idea.

"But, we could do something during that time…what do you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what do you think?"

"Ryotaro, I don't understand what you're telling me…"

Ryotaro rubbed his forehead.

"Kazuki, I don't get it either…but would you like to go on another date and see what happens?"

"What?"

"I said, would you like to—"

This time the words were cut off by a tremendous hug, similar, but with different purpose than the one Ryotaro had received a week previously. Ryo slowly petted Kazuki's back.

"…Kazuki, I'm not making any promises."

"I know, but…I'm happy anyway."

Ryotaro had a feeling he hadn't made a mistake the first time and he had a suspicion he hadn't this time.


	2. Chapter 2

The next date Ryotaro and Kazuki had set had been for that next Saturday, but by the time Kazuki had gotten home, the sheer excitement of it was already showing through. Whether jubilant or manic, Kazuki was absolutely different from the gloom he had settled into the day before and everyone noticed, especially his particularly sharp brother (though it didn't take sharp to notice).

Haruki noted the mood swing the moment Kazuki walked in the door. It also made him curious. He guessed that Kazuki had done whatever it was he needed to do. But, it made him curious. And Kazuki was so happy; of course it was worth it to share the happiness. But he shouldn't…

"Hey bro, can I talk to you when you've got a minute?"

"Sure! I can talk now if you want."

"Alright, you want to talk in my room?"

Kazuki blinked, thinking they would be talking about something mysterious and secretive.

"Okay…"

Haruki followed Kazuki as he jumped up the stairs and into Haruki's room. It was similar to Kazuki's room, except less messy and less poster-covered and less…everything. Kazuki took a seat on his brother's bed.

"What's up?"

Haruki closed the door behind him.

"I could ask you the same question."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Did you do what you needed to?"

Kazuki's eyes lit up.

"Oh! Yes, thank you so much for note! It worked great."

Haruki smiled.

"I can see you're more your usual self now."

"Yeah…anyway, thanks."

They were quiet for a moment while Haruki decided if he _really_ wanted to break into that topic. Assign it to brotherly curiosity…

"So?"

Kazuki was a tad embarrassed upon figuring out what was being asked.

"Oh…well, it's nothing too much…"

"It looks like something pretty big."

"Well, it was…in a way…umm…"

He suddenly became chipper.

"I'm going on a date!"

Haruki looked amused.

"Oh? With who?"

Kazuki blushed.

"Someone from my school…"

"The Music School?"

"No, um…the other one…"

"The Gen-Ed building?"

"Yeah…"

Haruki tried to think if he knew anyone from that part of the school. There weren't many and the ones he knew didn't make any sense if put beside Kazuki. Best press on.

"How'd you meet?"

"Well, through a music competition…"

"Oh, did they come to watch?"

"No…they performed…"

Haruki moved his head a little.

"What?"

"I know, it surprised me too."

Haruki wasn't sure where else to go in that direction, so he started for another.

"So, what is she like?"

Kazuki paled a bit.

"Oh..um…"

Haruki narrowed his eyes. This was peculiar…

"That's okay. You don't have to tell me."

"Oh no, it's okay. I was just surprised…well…um…"

After a moment of silence…

"So when's the date?"

Kazuki perked.

"Saturday at 1…"

"Where?"

"Oh, at the park. We're meeting by the basketball court again."

"Again?"

"Oops…"

Kazuki was embarrassed. Haruki wondered.

"Well, I hope you have a great time."

Kazuki smiled.

"Thanks!"

He then got up, hugged his brother and ran downstairs. Haruki stayed standing, wondering, thinking.

"If he was that depressed over the first date…I can't help but be concerned about who this person is…it's not like I want him dating someone who would be bad for him…but…maybe I'm getting too involved…I'll know after Saturday."

Haruki then followed Kazuki downstairs.

Once again the week went slowly and quickly, except it seemed as though Ryotaro and Kazuki had traded places. It couldn't go any slower for Kazuki and it couldn't go any faster for Ryo. Kazuki sat in class doldrumming his way to the end of each period, usually earning himself many, many hairclips as he phased in and out of his lack of awareness.

Ryotaro on the other side of the campus was plagued with worry, mainly because he once again couldn't think of anything to do. It began to become clear why he hadn't gone on many dates. Thus, the few school days he had to be preparing were spent unintentionally procrastinating.

There was no accounting for being late on Saturday though and Ryotaro arrived on time, yet again. Kazuki interestingly, was already sitting on the bench waiting for Ryo.

"Hey!"

"Hey. I see you're early."

"Yep. I set my alarm right this time!"

Kazuki looked positively delighted with himself.

"Good, I'm glad."

Ryotaro sat down as Kazuki hummed.

"So, what's the plan for today?"

The dreaded question. Ryotaro had been staring into the scenery.

"Kazuki…you know I didn't plan anything for the last date, right?"

"Really? But it worked out so well!"

They both seemed genuinely surprised. They also seemed to have talents for genuinely surprising one another.

"I'm happy you think it did. I really was just making it up as I went along…"

"So is that what we're going to do today?"

Ryo looked over somewhat sheepishly.

"Yes?"

"Sounds cool!"

Ryo was glad there was a lot of forgiveness in Kazuki's happiness. He thought he might as well add to it.

"So, what do you want to do? I chose most everything last time."

Kazuki hummed more seriously.

"Well…let's see…"

He looked around and didn't notice until he really looked that they did happen to be sitting in front of a basketball court.

"Oh! What about that!"

"What?"

Ryo glanced in the direction Kazuki was pointing.

"The basketball court?"

"Yeah!"

"Kazuki…"

"Yeah?"

"We don't have a basketball…"

"Oh…"

They then returned to thinking of something to do. Meanwhile, close by in a suitably obscured place, Haruki had just finished getting over his shock of seeing Kazuki sitting, talking, laughing, chatting, _enjoying_ time with another guy. Had it been any other situation, nothing would have been wrong, nothing at all. But this…

"This is not what I expected…I guess I really shouldn't be surprised and Kazuki's obvious enough to read to know that asking what kind of _girl_ made him uneasy, but…it still bothers me that I didn't know…"

Haruki watched as the pair sitting on the bench starting laughing. Unbeknownst to him, Ryotaro had just suggested they go bowling, but neither of them could take the image of Kazuki trying to throw a heavy object at other potentially breakable objects. It once more made Ryotaro wonder just how he had so _many_ dates…

"I guess he's not such a bad guy…from here anyway…Kazuki seems to be having a good time…but still…"

Haruki just so happened to be carrying a basketball that he'd just so happened to bring along in case he happened to want to shoot some hoops while Kazuki was waiting for his date. Now, it merely served as an excuse to snoop.

"Well then…what about…skateboarding?"

"Kazuki…can you skateboard?"

"…No."

"Then why did you suggest that?"

"…we hadn't said it yet."

"Great. Well, I hope we come up with something soon. Otherwise we might have—"

"Hey Bro!"

Kazuki gasped and Ryo jumped. They both turned around to see Haruki standing there with a basketball. A basketball.

"Bro! What are _you_ doing here?"

Haruki shrugged.

"I thought you'd be gone by the time I got here. I wanted to play some."

He nodded at the basketball. Ryo looked at Kazuki, rather concerned at what his brother had meant by them being gone. Kazuki however was more concerned with the globular object of his desire.

"That's great! We were actually going to play some too!"

"Oh? Do you want to play then?"

He looked and addressed his question at Ryotaro, but Kazuki answered for them with a very emphatic,

"Yes!"

They all got up. Ryo would have paid more attention to what Haruki had said, but he wasn't sure if he should lose any concentration when it came to Kazuki. He already knew that Kazuki was good enough on the court, but with his brother…

And of course playing soccer had made Ryotaro somewhat competitive.

They strode onto the empty blacktop. Kazuki looked around.

"Hey bro…"

Haruki was bouncing the basketball.

"Yeah?"

"Are any of your friends coming to play?"

"No, why?"

Kazuki turned to face his brother.

"You just usually play with them, that's all."

"Oh…I just felt like coming by myself today."

Ryotaro probably looked very suspecting at that moment, but Kazuki swooped in and snatched the basketball from his brother, immediately starting the friendly fracas that was to come. The game began.

Kazuki, after grabbing the ball proceeded to shoot from where he was, missed and went after the rebound. He was followed by Haruki with Ryotaro watching for a chance to jump in. Kazuki got the ball back first, dribbling lightly, attempting to guard against his brother, who was shadowing him closely. Kazuki almost got around him when Ryo intercepted, pulling and shooting the ball into the air. He scored the first basket of the game.

Kazuki squawked for a second before both brothers smiled. It was on.

The game-play followed in a mildly vicious whirl of events, incorporating thefts, fouls, a bump in the wrong direction every once in a while, but mainly an excuse to have fun. Kazuki was only ever distracted by the occasional lifting up of Ryotaro's shirt, which revealed the sweat-shined skin underneath.

Haruki even ended up having so much fun, both with the game and competing with Ryotaro, that he forgot why he'd even come in the first place. It didn't return to his mind until after the game had ended, when the trio decided to take a break. Since Haruki and Ryotaro had scored first and second respectively, Kazuki had to go get drinks. He didn't mind the drink part, but he was still fuming over the number of times he'd lost count of his points.

"I still think I had more than you!"

Haruki laughed.

"Maybe next time, Kazuki."

"Yeah right…anyway, what do you guys want to drink?"

Haruki and Ryotaro were sitting on the bench outside the basketball court.

"Pop for me."

Kazuki turned to Ryotaro.

"What do you want?"

"Water's fine."

Kazuki nodded and cheerfully walked away towards the vending machines. Ryotaro hoped he wouldn't get lost. Haruki however focused elsewhere.

"So…"

"Yeah?"

"You go to the Gen-Ed school?"

"That's right."

"And you're in the music competition Kazuki's in, right?"

"Yeah, but that wasn't completely my choice."

Haruki paused for a moment.

"Kazuki told me he was going on a date."

Ryo looked at Haruki.

"Did he?"

"Are you two dating now?"

"…Not yet."

Haruki dipped his eyebrows slightly.

"Oh?"

"No. We're not."

"May I ask what you feel for my brother then?"

"I'm asking myself the same—"

"Drinks!"

Kazuki returned with an arm-full of cold, condensating bottles. Haruki gratefully took his as Kazuki held it out. Kazuki sat down in-between them while handing Ryotaro his bottle of water. Ryo opened it and slowly took a sip. He was a bit on edge after the curtailed conversation he'd just been having.

Haruki showed no signs of it however and continued drinking before starting another conversation with Kazuki.

"Bro, I don't think I've ever seen you take the ball that hard before."

"Really? Thanks."

Ryotaro wondered.

The time passed quite too quickly since Haruki had arrived. His simple, direct statements weren't anywhere near as boisterous as Kazuki's but they held a lot that Ryo was worried about. Ryotaro's own contributions were put in merely to keep the conversation going, not so much to allow it to foster any new interest in his opinions.

However, even Kazuki could tell they were spending too much time and referred to it.

"Hey thanks Bro for such a great time. It was fun, but I think we need to head off…"

Ryotaro couldn't have been happier. Haruki didn't brood.

"Sorry for taking so much of your time. See you later Kazuki."

With that, he got up and strode away. Ryotaro watched him go, and with it, much of his anxiety. He knew he really shouldn't worry. Haruki was only concerned for his brother and wanted the best for him. Apparently that best included who he dated. It wasn't so much worry for whatever the date was, but for what could happen if Haruki interfered…

"Now what?"

Ryotaro looked up. Kazuki was already very ready to leave, almost hopping up and down. The long game and longer stressful conversational excursion however had left Ryo a little bit tired.

"Do you mind if we sit here a few more minutes?"

Kazuki stopped bouncing.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It might just be nice to spend a few minutes alone together."

What Ryotaro meant was a few minutes without Haruki. What Kazuki heard was Ryotaro intentionally asking for quality time. This recharged any lapsing circuits in Kazuki's mind as well as heated his face.

"Sure!"

And so they sat and talked a bit more, with Kazuki now about bouncing on the bench.

"So what did you do this week?"

Ryo considered.

"The same things, I guess…"

"Oh…me too, then."

"…Did the week seem short to you?"

"No…it seemed long…so long!"

"Really?"

"Yeah…I couldn't wait for it to end…"

"I guess so…"

He might as well bring it up.

"Kazuki…you're close to your brother, aren't you?"

"My bro? Yeah, I love him."

Ryotaro stared at Kazuki for a second.

"Oh, but not like I love you though…!"

Then he tried to backtrack realizing he'd gone and said something embarrassing. Ryotaro didn't mind.

"I was just wondering…"

"Okay…"

"…but has he always been involved in your life?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Like…your hobbies, important events, personal life…"

"Well…not exactly…I mean, he's always been supportive of me when it comes to going after my dreams…but he sort of leaves me alone with things he doesn't think are his business…"

"Oh…"

Ryotaro confirmed his suspicions. He had also fully recovered by then from the near-trauma Haruki had put him through. Time to move on.

"Um…how about getting something to eat?"

"Yeah!"

What sad sanctity he had to find in food, but thankfully Ryotaro once again had a place picked out. They headed towards his car and set out again, this time unwatched. This particular restaurant was a bit more formal than the last one Ryotaro decided to take Kazuki to. Though he was sacrificing the convenience of cheaper food, he also had other surprises in store.

Kazuki was oblivious to all of it as Ryo kept driving. He was too fascinated with reading off bumper stickers. Every time Ryotaro passed a car before Kazuki had managed to read all the bumper stickers, Kazuki would then grow frantic and plead that Ryo slow down enough so the other car could pass again. Ryotaro must have had a great deal of fun not slowing down.

After a short period of sticker-frenzy, they pulled up to the restaurant. It certainly looked nicer, or at least Kazuki thought so. It was a moderate sized red brick building, with plenty of tall windows and green awnings over every one, as well as every door way. A number of small bright colored objects and signs pointed to the eatery and Kazuki managed to almost trip and fall up the stairs on his way into the building.

A hostess greeted them at the door, opening it as Kazuki was still getting his balance straight. Ryotaro followed him in and then they both followed the hostess to a booth on the far side of the room. There were dim lamps hanging several feet above the table, but provided only a fraction of the light seeping in from the window beside them. Kazuki slid in as the hostess placed menus on the table.

"Your waitress will be right with you."

Kazuki smiled as she walked away and then turned his full attention to the menu. Ryotaro smiled, thinking that Kazuki had finally gotten over the "date worries" that had so stressed him out previously. Ryotaro observed his own menu. Moderate, a step above cheap, but affordable at least. Meanwhile, Kazuki was looking at pictures rather than numbers.

"This looks awesome!"

"What?"

Kazuki turned his menu around and pointed at a particularly scrumptious looking image.

"…what is that?"

"…I don't know how to pronounce it…"

"…then it might not be safe to eat."

Kazuki looked worriedly at his menu as Ryotaro began laughing.

"Get whatever you want, but limit yourself to one entrée, alright?"

"I'll try."

A smile flashed. Ryotaro returned to his menu just in time for the waitress to saunter up to the table. She was youngish, tall and almost sparkling, but that might have just been for show, or her name-tag which was covered with a number of luminescent pins and stickers.

"Hello, how are you both doing this evening?"

Kazuki grinned back.

"Super!"

"That's great. I'm glad to hear it! So can I get you two started off with drinks?"

"Oh…um…do you have soda?"

"Of course, what kind?"

"…orange?"

Kazuki looked embarrassed. The waitress didn't and smiled as she turned to Ryotaro.

"Great choice. And for you?"

"Ice water please."

"Wonderful, and would you like to start off with an appetizer?"

Kazuki looked at Ryotaro.

"No thanks."

"Okay then, I'll be right back with your drinks."

With that, she sort of vanished from sight. Kazuki looked sad.

"The appetizers looked good…"

Ryotaro smiled.

"Don't worry. They will be plenty of delicious food to come."

Kazuki morphed from sad to pouting.

"Alright…"

"Speaking of which, have you figured out what you're having?"

"Um…let's see…oh! How about this?"

Kazuki pointed at something slightly more readable this time.

"Sounds good."

"I know, right? What are you having?"

"Probably…"

Ryotaro looked at his menu and located a sandwich that didn't seem too dangerous either to his stomach or his bank balance.

"This."

"Oh…that looks good too…"

"Mm-hm."

"…Ryo…"

"Yeah?"

"If I really wanted to take a bite of it…could I?"

Ryotaro blinked.

"Um…"

"Only if you don't mind though…"

"Sure, I guess…"

Kazuki smiled, seeming somewhat relieved more than delighted. Ryotaro was happy he wasn't a germaphobe.

Soon enough the waitress came back.

"Orange soda…and…ice water. Okay, so have we decided what we're having tonight?"

"I'll have this!"

Kazuki pointed, not wanting to take any risks on names.

"Very good. And for you?"

"I'll have the club sandwich."

"Our specialty, very good choice. I'll go put in your orders and we'll have them out soon."

She vanished again, leaving the two of them alone. Kazuki gazed around the room.

"This place is kind of neat…"

"Hmm? Why?"

"I don't know…different."

"You've never been here before?"

"Maybe once…I'm not sure…I may have been with my brother…"

Ryotaro nodded, his eyes scanning as much of the room as he could just to make sure that Haruki hadn't somehow followed them. Kazuki jumped.

"Oh wait! No! It wasn't here…it was somewhere else…it might have been a birthday party or something…"

"Okay."

"Yeah…"

"…"

"…So, did you have this place picked out, or?"

"Yeah, I had it in mind for a while."

"So you've been here before?"

"Once or twice, not often. I think I've gotten same thing every time I've been here actually…"

"Really? Why?"

"I don't know. I think I liked it and felt like having it again."

"But there were so many things to try!"

"That's true, but you may have a more adventurous palette than I do."

"Oh, not really. It's just fun to try new things!"

Ryo smiled.

"Well…I also like old things too…"

Kazuki stopped, caught up in his "new" thoughts, but then detoured at the tone in Ryotaro's voice.

"…I do too…"

It was slightly ominous, the word that had set the connection. Neither of them looked at it as being very strong. Ryo changed the subject.

"So how has practice been?"

"Practice?"

"You know, for the concours?"

"Oh! Great. It's been great."

Kazuki smiled.

"And you?"

"Alright. I have to work at it when I have time."

"Yeah…"

Ryotaro paused.

"...How do you think everyone else will do?"

"Oh…um…fine I guess…everyone has been pretty consistent, you know…Keiichi and Shoko are great and Len and Azuma are amazing and all…"

"And Kahoko?"

Kazuki was silent for a moment.

"I hope she does alright."

Ryotaro nodded, reflecting for a moment.

"Me too."

The word was back and Kazuki was twisting up inside. The word had shifted however to something far more personal, her. Interest, rival in more ways than one, enigma. Kazuki had yet to sort out how he was supposed to deal with what she represented and the fact that Ryotaro was the one to bring her up just made everything worse…

Ryotaro sensed something was off. There was a release, a malfunction of interest. Something was wrong. Before he could ask what it was, the waitress reappeared, carrying several plates on a tray. She set the sandwich in front of Ryotaro and Kazuki's troublesome monikered food in front of him. Before leaving, she noticed that neither of them had really sipped from their drinks.

Ryotaro observed their food. It looked great, smelled wonderful and would most likely taste even better. Kazuki however wasn't reacting quite the way Ryo had expected him to. He looked as though he'd wilted. Ryotaro frowned.

"Here."

Kazuki blinked. Ryotaro held out half his sandwich.

"You said you wanted a bite."

Kazuki slowly came back to life, taking the sandwich and biting into it with an enormous crunch. You'd think that sandwich was made of molten gold the way Kazuki smiled. Although it was probably more because Ryo had offered it to him.

They worked at their meals, casually inserting bits of conversation without becoming too distracting from eating. The basketball match _had_ made them hungry. Thus, it wasn't long before their plates were clean of sustenance.

The waitress appeared a moment later.

"Will that be all for you this evening? Were you saving room for dessert?"

Before Kazuki could look at Ryotaro, Ryo was already talking.

"Yes, we'd like the ice cream, cookie sundae please."

The waitress smiled at the thought.

"That's one of my favorites. I'll bring it right out."

Kazuki looked a little surprised, more than a little surprised as Ryotaro smiled at him.

"I told you not to worry, didn't I?"

When the monstrosity of a dessert came, Kazuki could hardly contain himself. Only its full glory could be seen when the waitress placed it in the middle of the table. An overly large chocolate chip cookie, apparently warm and gooey sat at the bottom of a mountain of toppings. Above the cookie foundation were two heavy scoops of ice cream doused in thick, sticky chocolate sauce. A flurry of walnuts and clouds of whipped cream rose to the top of the landmark which was topped with a single glowing maraschino cherry. Kazuki almost drooled.

Ryo picked up his spoon. Kazuki quickly did the same and grinned as he did so. Then they both dug in. Ryotaro was mainly staying on his side of the dessert, affecting only what was set in front of him. Kazuki was busy scraping large portions of his side into his mouth. But it wasn't until Kazuki noticed something upsetting that he stopped.

"Ryo?"

Ryotaro's spoon was in the air, halfway to his mouth.

"Yes?"

"May I have some of your side?"

"What's wrong with yours?"

"Nothing, but…"

"Alright then."

The spoon grew closer to Ryo's mouth before Kazuki interrupted again.

"But! But, your side has all the sauce and nuts and stuff…"

"Okay."

"…please?"

"Alright."

"Yay!"

Kazuki turned the bowl ninety degrees and continued blissfully shoveling. Ryotaro smiled and finally managed his spoonful to reach its intended destination.

When they'd finished ravishing the unsuspecting dessert, it had somehow grown dark outside. Kazuki thought it was because of how long they'd spent in the restaurant. Ryotaro thought it was because of the basketball game. The waitress didn't have an opinion, but wished them a good night anyway.

Ryotaro once again volunteered to take Kazuki home, this time thankfully without having to rely too much on Kazuki's unconsciously homicidal directions. This allowed them a quicker trip with fewer near casualties. Whether acting on his suspicions from the last date or merely being courteous, they safely ended up once more at Kazuki's house. Ryo parked the car and got out. Kazuki didn't.

Ryotaro had walked around to the front of the house before he noticed. He looked at Kazuki before reaching down and opening the door. Kazuki still didn't move.

"Kazuki, is something wrong?"

It was as if a bucket of water was poured on his head when Kazuki woke from his daze.

"Oh! I'm sorry…"

"You okay? You were a little spacey…"

"I was just thinking…"

"About what?"

Kazuki exited the car.

"About today."

"Oh?"

"Yeah…"

He looked at his house and then at Ryotaro.

"This is where…"

Ryo thought, recalled, and then nodded.

"Yeah."

"Sorry about that…"

Ryotaro almost laughed. He thought Kazuki was being silly.

"Don't apologize. We wouldn't have been able to go on this date if you hadn't…"

Kazuki blinked.

"Ryo…"

"Yeah?"

"…Do you know any better now?"

Ryotaro shifted a little once he saw Kazuki's face. It was evident what he meant.

"…Can I tell you on Monday?"

Kazuki felt his heart squeeze. He nodded. Ryo smiled.

"Goodnight."

He began walking back around to the driver's seat, half watching as Kazuki walked up and entered his home. Ryotaro stared still after the door had closed and only a moment later left.

Kazuki felt his heart spinning, flattening out against his ribcage, pushing away and jolting him with unknown pain. He climbed the stairs, wondering what was going on, as though the events of the past few hours were small enough to make sense of.

He reached the top of the stairs and entered his bedroom, and was surprised to find his brother sitting on his bed.

"Bro!"

Haruki moved a little to face Kazuki.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Waiting for you to get back."

"Oh…thanks."

"No prob."

Haruki smiled as Kazuki slowly became less tense. It seemed that having someone else nearby immediately granted relief for whatever Kazuki was facing.

"I never guessed I'd see you at the basketball court today!"

Haruki's smile decreased slightly.

"Oh…neither did I…"

Kazuki sat down beside his brother. Haruki didn't react other than to turn his head away.

"Bro? Is something wrong?"

Haruki turned his head again, this time in profile.

"Kazuki…"

"Yeah?"

"I went to the court today so I could watch what you were doing."

"What!"

Kazuki hadn't expected it at all.

"Why?"

"…I was worried."

Kazuki blinked.

"Why would you be worried?"

"You seemed so depressed after the last date, I wasn't sure what kind of person you were dating…"

"Oh…that's because…"

Kazuki wasn't sure where to begin. Haruki continued.

"I talked with that guy today…"

"Ryotaro?"

"Yeah. He seemed nice…"

"He is! He's great bro, I think you'd like him!"

Haruki watched as Kazuki got excited. He smiled briefly.

"I do, but I'm still not convinced that he's serious about all this…"

A cold shadow passed over Kazuki's face. It passed off his cheek, down his lips and into his heart. The change was so drastic that it alarmed Haruki.

"Kazuki?"

"How do you know?"

"What?"

"How do you know he's not serious?"

The tone in Kazuki's voice was small, fragile. There was nothing arrogant, protective about it. Haruki was a bit overwhelmed.

"I…just asked him how he felt and he said…he wasn't sure…"

Kazuki's eyes crystallized and the shadow grew darker.

"Kazuki?"

"Bro…"

"What?"

"What if he doesn't love me?"

Haruki was genuinely surprised. When he was waiting for Kazuki, he had expected the chipper sibling he'd always known. They would have a talk, clear all the confusion up and then go on with their lives. But Haruki hadn't realized what he'd done until just then.

"Well…um…"

Kazuki waited, but only half wanted to hear an answer.

"Maybe he does?"

"I don't know anymore…I thought he did…"

Haruki knew he couldn't mess up again.

"Well…it wouldn't be the end of the world if he didn't though, right?"

The crystal melted, the shadow went slack, but sank into a deep sadness that replaced them both. Haruki tried his best to combat it.

"Hey, Kazuki…"

Kazuki seemed to be listening.

"What about that girl you talked about before? What was her name? Kahoko?"

Kazuki shot up from the bed.

"Why does everyone keep _talking_ about her!"

Haruki jumped.

"I thought you liked her…?"

Kazuki turned to face his brother, looking desperate, pleading, sure in an area he didn't know how to express. His voice was heavy.

"I did…or I thought I did…I tried to explain it and I just kept screwing it up and I didn't know why…she was on my mind, but no matter how much I thought I loved her, I never knew how she felt…and Azuma said…that…"

Kazuki was shaking, with anger, with indecision, with frustration of not knowing what to do, or having known what to say. His voice became more labored, his eyes more weighted.

"I thought maybe I could convince her that I loved her more than anyone else…but she never…and Len was always with her…I mean, they even play the same instrument…so why shouldn't they…but I thought maybe I wasn't good enough or that it was because something was wrong with me…

"And I don't get it…no matter how many times I try to figure it out, I just keep coming up with the same answer…"

Haruki tried to keep as steady as possible.

"What was it?"

"…that maybe I didn't love her enough…"

"But why would you—"

"I don't know! I thought maybe Ryotaro would know! But then on the last date, I went with what I was feeling and…and…I thought maybe…I was different that way…"

Haruki considered all the things he could say.

"What do you…feel now?"

"…I like Ryotaro…and I like being with him…and he…he's a guy…"

"Yes. He is."

"And…I like being with him…"

It was at this point that concern transcended ideal.

"So, do you think about Kahoko when you're with him?"

"…no."

"What do you think about?"

"…him…"

"Do you love Kahoko anymore?"

Kazuki wasn't shaking quite so much. He was calming down, but into what he would cool, Haruki wasn't sure.

Kazuki shook his head.

"No. Not anymore."

"…Do you think Ryotaro loves you?"

Kazuki closed his eyes for a moment, trying to give faces to his fears. He sat back down on the bed.

"I'm just really, really afraid he's doing all this to be nice…"

Haruki blinked and frowned.

"It didn't seem that way."

"I know! But…I can't be too sure…since I don't think he's really sure…or if he is, he hasn't told me…and I don't want to be with him for the wrong reasons…"

Haruki tried his best to be the big brother he should be; warm, yet detached; supportive, but realistic; encouraging, but objective; loving, but not controlling…and seeing Kazuki in pain made it so hard for him to maintain the ideal he'd set for himself.

"Kazuki, why do you want to be with him?"

"I love him."

Haruki paused.

"Are you sure?"

Kazuki slowly nodded. Haruki pressed.

"Why?"

"…Because he was there when I was sad about Kahoko…and he was there even when he didn't have to be…and…I think this could work…"

"Then why wouldn't you want to be with him?"

Kazuki glimmered.

"He may not love me…like her…and I don't know what would happen if…"

"What would you do without him?"

Kazuki closed his eyes.

"I don't know…"

"…Would you be alright?"

He kept his eyes closed.

"I don't know…"

Haruki was twisting up inside.

"Kazuki…it'll be okay, whatever happens…"

"…I'm scared."

Haruki moved and pulled Kazuki to him, hugging him with one arm.

"You'll be okay."

It was a long time before Kazuki spoke. He was quivering, deftly trying not to lose control to the fear that had been with him this entire time, even before he'd asked Ryotaro that question nearly two weeks ago. When he finally stopped quivering, it was because he realized, like it or not, he would get his answer on Monday.

Stability wasn't what Kazuki was looking for at that moment. Any person could wish for stability, but then they'd just turn into the ruins of a person when disaster struck. Stability only holds a person up; it doesn't protect what keeps them living.

No, what Kazuki was looking for was support. And he found it, sitting in the crook of his brother's arm, knowing that his brother would be there if he needed him. He thought and knew that his teachers would be there for him as well; and his track friends and his basketball buddies…and his music. He'd always have his trumpet…

Just maybe he'd survive whatever happened to his heart. Just maybe.

"Thanks bro…"

Haruki stayed with Kazuki until it was obvious that the younger person had dozed off. He then untangled himself from his brother, laid him down and tugged a blanket over Kazuki's chest. Haruki left the room and would worry for the rest of the next day.

Sunday was a day of anticipation. It must have been millions of moments that Kazuki had to pass through to get to the moment he so desperately waited for, and so desperately wanted to escape. An equal number of scenarios whizzed through Kazuki's head. What would happen? What _could_ happen?

Every small once in a while, Haruki would pass Kazuki by and bonk him on the forehead. Kazuki would snap from the situation that was playing in his head and look at his brother, who would give him an encouraging grin before continuing on with whatever he had been doing.

It was at the cusp of discovery. It wouldn't be long before he'd reach the lunate bowl of consequence where all things had to end up.

Monday came. With it came school. Ryotaro woke with the lump of a decision on the inside of his head. It would detach and roll and come to rest near his mouth after he'd gotten ready, but until then it stayed there, clouding his mind and allowing him vague ideas of the immediacy of the day.

Kazuki's school day consisted of a countdown, one where his heart began to pump faster as the hours went by. His instructors complained that he lacked focus because he was _too_ alert that day. He was even too aware to allow his female classmates to betoken his head with a crown of strawberry hair clips. Because of this, the moment his final class ended, Kazuki was already packed, and out of his seat, making his way from the classroom. Even Azuma had never seen Kazuki pack up that fast.

Kazuki went looking for Ryotaro. With the two of them looking, certainly they'd find each other faster, right?

Meanwhile, back at Kazuki's classroom, Ryotaro peeked in to see if Kazuki was still there. Azuma was one of the few still there as he was a tad meticulous in his method of packing up his materials. He noticed Ryo immediately and let off one of his dazzling smiles, letting the cascades of charm flow.

"Hello Ryotaro."

Ryo never really knew what to say to Azuma.

"Hey…Azuma, hey, do you know where Kazuki went?"

Azuma blinked, accentuated by the sparkles cutting off.

"Kazuki? He left a moment ago."

"Oh? Thanks."

Ryotaro popped back out again as Azuma heard footsteps rapidly diluting down the hallway. He considered to himself what could be going on and smiled again. Sincerely this time, but without any excess glitter.

Ryotaro hurried down the hallway where he thought Kazuki had gone. Come to think of it, if Kazuki had left, then that would most likely mean that he'd gone to look for Ryotaro. If that was true, then Kazuki would have gone to the Gen-Ed building…and the quickest way there would be…

Kazuki wondered if Ryotaro had come looking for him and slowed down considerably. It was an odd prescient moment for him, as he usually didn't think ahead at all. By the time he reached the long hallway that led to the Gen-Ed building, several minutes had passed. He opened the door and proceeded slowly.

It wasn't as though he didn't think Ryotaro would come and find him…and it wasn't as though he thought that Ryotaro _wouldn't_ come look for him…but, he was anxious either way.

He was about halfway down the hallway when he heard the door he'd just come through creak behind him followed by a fast procession of footsteps.

He had scarcely turned when Ryotaro caught up with him, breathing heavily, having run to make up lost time. Kazuki was surprised enough to stay silent while Ryo attempted to speak.

"Hey…Kazuki…I was…looking for you…"

By the time Ryotaro had finally recovered, the very heavy anxiety returned. Kazuki waited. Ryo assumed he needed to start.

"Kazuki…this is kind of hard for me to say…"

Ryotaro paused, knowing that Kazuki had been waiting for an answer and that he wasn't sure if he could give a clear one.

"But…over the past several days I've been thinking about our dates…and I was thinking about the dates I'd been on in the past…"

Worry remained in the back of Kazuki's mind.

"When I was in a relationship, I used to be really nervous, and whenever I was nervous, I was never enjoying myself. When I stopped being so nervous, I realized I still wasn't enjoying myself and neither was she…though we did like each other…but I couldn't really be with someone I didn't enjoy spending time with…"

Kazuki waited, his breath swirling thick in his chest. It almost began to hurt, this waiting, and Kazuki could barely take much more.

"Ryotaro…"

Ryo blinked.

"Please just tell me…"

There was something warm about the tone in Kazuki's voice. It was steady, intent, but didn't sound like ephemeral heat. It sounded mature and was hard not to admire.

Ryotaro admired it.

"I want to see what happens since I enjoy spending time with you…"

This statement proceeded to make Ryotaro blush and Kazuki widen his eyes. Still…

"Ryo…is that a yes?"

Ryotaro looked somewhat shocked.

"Didn't it sound like one?"

"No."

He blushed a little more.

"Okay...then, yes."

It was the first time Kazuki managed to knock Ryotaro off his feet with a hug.

###

Hello! I hope you all enjoyed this fic. I would have put my author's notes in a separate chapter altogether, but after reading FF's guidelines again, I found that that is apparently against the rules. Oh well.

So! This is my first real two shot. I think I finished half of one for a Millennium Snow fic, but this is the first real one I've done. And look how long it ended up! I'm so proud of it.

I had this idea a long time ago, at the very least more than a year. And after starting it two or three times and never quite managing to begin it correctly, I thought I'd never get to write this.

Fast forward to the recent past and because of a really splendid review (and reviewer), this fic got kick-started again and I'm delighted it did. Sometimes it's not the spontaneous idea that I enjoy writing the most, but the idea that I've held onto the longest.

So thank you special reviewer! You know who you are! Also, this really does prove that reviews DO count. So please review!

So…I don't want to overload anyone, but the rest of my note will consist of various comments on the story. Thus: notes.

I have always wanted to use the word "scrumptious" somewhere. This seemed an appropriate place to do so.

Someone may notice that the arrangement of perspectives is somewhat mirrored. As well, there are several things in the story that were intentionally placed, but call them Easter eggs almost. One or two such things are places where I quote the manga. One is an actual quotation, two others are paraphrases of situations.

I was also thinking of several various events from the manga while I was writing some of the last parts, so as to give some basis for a "factual" understanding, either of chronology or cause. To be honest though, the chronology is always a little funny for me with La Corda. I'm not sure where to really set them. This one happens somewhere…before the Concours ends? Maybe.

I also wanted to avoid the complete polarization of the "seme" "uke" stereotypes where characters are demoted from being able to act like normal people and instead have to "play a role."

Kazuki's confession to his brother is probably one of the most difficult things I've ever written. But, I do ask for it with my penchant for character psychology…but that's okay.

I'm also beginning to wonder if I'm the only person who writes this pairing…at least in English.

Also, one can probably imagine Azuma hiding somewhere near the hallway, listening in to the love confession. He has to be well-informed you know.

Does anyone remember Kazuki's "hug of doom" from the manga? He practically tackles Ryo and ends up taking him clothes shopping which I thought was just wonderful. And even Len fell under the effects of it, though there isn't any proof Kazuki hugged him. Let's just pretend.

Let me say that both restaurants mentioned in this story do in fact exist and I have eaten at both of them. My description of the restaurant in the first part is sort of a tribute to my childhood since recently they've been remodeling the chain, so they no longer look like that. The second restaurant is quite common. Considering I don't know how far these restaurants are spread through the United States (or perhaps even farther?), I'm not sure if anyone else will recognize them. I'll let you guess what they are though.

I was also trying with some difficulty to not have to name a carbonated drink in this fic, which is why we have the words "pop" and "soda." Thank goodness it seems in character for Ryo to drink water.

Also, yes, I really hate to insinuate the Kahoko and Len pairing, because I really don't like it and I don't think it really makes a whole lot of sense, and the fandom is overrun with it. However…for the sake of this pairing, I'm willing to allow an insinuation. Keep in mind I already have a pairing for Len that isn't with Kahoko.

Please don't think I know really anything about basketball. I don't. I know next to nothing about basketball as well as most other sports. Tennis is the only thing I really slightly understand but that's only because I read the first three volumes of Marmalade Boy…oh dear…

Ah, these thoughts are so jumbled! Oh well.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story! Thanks for reading and please review!


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